Car-vestibule



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

. L. J. HARRIS.

' GAR VBSTIBULE.

No. 498,432. Patented May 30,1s9s-.

IEIEIE] 5 No Model.) i V 2Sheets- Sheet 2.

' L. J. HARRIS.

GAR VESTIBULE. No. 498,432. Patented May30, 1893.

WlTNEEEEE- y INVQNTEI UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIE J. HARRIS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE W.BANCROFT, OF- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' CAR-.VESTIBULE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,432, dated May 30,1893. Application filed November 24, 1890.: Serial No. 372,410. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known thatI, LOUIE J. HARRIS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Mas: sachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car Vestibulesof which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to car vestibules', its obj cct being toprovide such improvements as will secure a fixed relationship, as to posireference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, thesame letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may be,wherever they occur- Of the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the endportions of two railway cars or coaches, coupled, and equipped with theimproved vestibule forming the subject of this application. Fig. 2 is anend view of one of the cars shown in Fig. 1, one of the vestibule doorsbeing represented as opened and the other as closed. Fig. 3 is a centralhorizontal sectional view of one of the cars shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa sectional detail taken on the line at, 4 of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is ahorizontal sectional detail showing the manner of connecting thecompressed air pipes with the flexible connecting portions between theface plates and the end of the permanent portion of the vestibule. Fig.6 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of the upperhorizontal part of the flexible connection and the manner of attaching asafety or escape valve therewith. Fig.7 is a sectional detailof amodification hereinafter more fully explained.

In the drawings a designates the body of the car; I), the platform ateach end of the car.

-c designates the portion of the roof which projects over the platform,and between which and the said platform the posts d e extend whichsupport the permanent portion of the vestibule.

, f designates the flexible portion of the vestibule which is of theusual bellows-like form, and may be composed of any material suitablefor the purpose.

, g designates the face plate connected with the outer end or edgesofthe flexible portion, the inner end of the latter being connected withthe posts d,and the framing attached to. or forming a part of the roof.The outer surface ofeach face plate is corrugated, as is clearlyrepresented at h, Fig. 5, so that when two face plates are broughttogether and maintained in this position by pressure, there will belittle or no liability of one slippingupon the other from the fact thatthe ribs or projections of one plate will rest in the grooves ordepressions of the other and thus offer resistance tolateral'displacement. The flexible portion of each vestibule is madeairtight, and connected with each side of the said flexible portion isanair piped branching out from a main air-pipe j.

The means just described are provided for the purpose of inflating theflexible portions with compressed air which is forced through the mainjand branches '5 'i in order to hold the face plates of adjacent carstogether with a yielding pressure.

k is designate check valves in the branches M which prevent the returnof the air back through the main j.

Z (Fig. 6) designates a short pipe leading out from the upper horizontalportion. It may be under the hood or roof projecting over the platform,which pipe Z is provided with an escape or safety valve m, so that ifundue pressure should be brought upon the air in the flexible portion,the said air may escape through the valve m.

The operation of this part of the invention is as follows: When two carsare brought together and coupled, air may be admitted through the main jand branches i i so as to hold the face plates together; and supposingthat a pressure of eighty pounds to the square inch is required tokeepthesaidface platesin proper relative position, the escape valve willbe set or adjusted so as to allow the escape of air when the pressureshall exceed eighty pounds to the squareinch,while the pressure in themain j will be eighty pounds to the square inch, or thereabout. Shouldundue pressure he broughtto bear on the flexible portion by the motionof the cars, air will escapethrough the escape valve, and the instantthe flexible portion is relieved it will be inflated through the mainjand branches it to the extent of eighty pounds pressure to the squareinch. By this construction and arrangement of parts it will be seen thatthe face plates of adjacent coupler cars may be held securely togetherso that one willnot slip or move upon the other, while at the same timeeach car may move independently of the other radially from an imaginaryline drawn through the longitudinal centers of the car bodies.

designates the vestibule doors, each divided vertically into two partshinged together, the two hingedly-connected parts being hinged at theirinner edges to the posts d.

In hinging the two parts of the doors n together, and hinging the doorsto the posts d, I prefer to. employ the hinge shown and described inUnited States Letters Patent No. 418,021, granted to me December 24,1889, so that when the part of one door is folded upon the other partone may lie flat upon the other and the edges may be flush, one withtheother, and so that when the doors are folded back the exposed facemay be flush with the face of the part to which it is hinged.

0 designates recesses formed in the end of the car outside of thevestibule and on each side of the latter, into which recesses the doorswhen opened may be folded.

The various parts of the car not particularly described herein, may beof ordinaryor suitable construction. The buffer 19 is herein shown asextended through the lower horizontal portion of the face plate, and aspressed outward by a spring q surrounding its stem 7' and hearing at oneend against the buffer and at the other against the support for the saidstem.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the form and arrangement ofparts comprising the invention without departing from the nature orspirit thereof; for example,instead of making the flexible portion fair-tight and inflating the same, as described, I may attach a cylinder8 to the part c, arrange a piston t in said cylinder, and connect thepiston with a rod u pivoted, or otherwise attached, to-the face plate g,as shown in Fig. '7. With this construction I may connect the branchpipe 1', and pipe Z having the escape-valve m, with the cylinder, so asto force air into the latter instead of into the flexible portion f; andthe cylinder 8 may be connected with the face plate and the rod a withthe part c.

Having thus described my invention and explained a way of constructingand using the same, I declare that what I claim is 1. A vestibule forcars, the sides of each section of which are composed of two thicknessesof air-tight material separated from each other by an air space, thewhole being I formed into bellows shape and provided with an air supplypipe whereby air is introduced between the two thicknesses of the sidesof the vestibule, as set forth.

2. A vestibule for cars, the sides of each section of which are composedof two thicknesses of air-tight material separated from each other by anair space, the whole being formed into bellows shape and provided withan air-supply pipe, whereby air is introduced between the twothicknesses of the sides of the vestibule, and an escape valve, as setforth.

3. A vestibule for cars having a face plate attached to the outer end ofthe section of the vestibule composed of a hollow tube of air-tightmaterial havinga flat outer face, and an air supply pipe or tube forintroducing air thereto, as set forth.

4:. A vestibule for cars having a face-plate attached to the outer endof the section of the vestibule, composed of a hollow tube of air-tightmaterial having afiat outer face,the

latter being corrugated, as described, and an air supply pipe or tubefor introducing air thereto, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 8th day of November, A. D.1890.

LOUIE J. HARRIS.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. CROSSLEY, A. D. HARRISON.

